


The Court that Changed the World

by taintedcrimson



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 17:31:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4755002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taintedcrimson/pseuds/taintedcrimson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of shorts, not always in chronological order, set years after the end of the war, showing the everyday life of Aelin Galathynius and her court in Terrasen and beyond. Spoilers for all books, including Queen of Shadows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Court that Changed the World

There was a fire burning in one of the large alcoves along the inner wall of the library; he could hear the crackle of the flames and smell the acrid smoke that was laced with a hint of magic. Aedion had guessed correctly then when he advised Rowan to check the newly reopened palace library for his missing mate. 

The white stone that graced the entirety of the castle gleamed in the flickering light, reflecting the orange light to reveal the rows of dark wooden shelving beginning to fill the space. He still remembered the first time Aelin had set foot in room upon their return, the way her breath had hitched and tears had pooled in her eyes at the sight of the once great royal library. She'd told him the story of burning a corner of the library herself as a child, when the court had feared the destructive nature of her gifts, but seeing the entire hall littered with charred, crumbling remains of her beloved books had broken something in her. At the same time, it had also strengthened her resolve to rebuild the city and the rest of her hurting country, to help her people heal the wounds both within and without. 

In fact, it had been one of her first decisions to commission a library within the city itself, a library that would be open to any citizen or friend of Terrasen, to be filled with more books than the palace library. Of course, the salvaged magical texts were still being stored here in the palace under the careful watch of personally appointed librarians, for they were too rare now to be left in public circulation, but Aelin was adamant that everyone in the city should have access the precious resource of the printed word. 

As he came into view of the alcove, Fleetfoot lifted her head and peered at him with sleepy eyes. The dog's silky coat shone in the light of the fire where she sprawled on an ornate carpet beside a large padded chair. He could see nothing of Aelin save for a waterfall of golden hair over one of the arms and a pair of booted feet dangling over the other side. Fleetfoot yawned and rose, her massive form silent as she stopped to receive a scratch behind her ears before padding past him, her watch over for the night. He made a mental promise to save her an extra strip of bacon at breakfast for the rest of the week as thanks for her vigilance. 

Stepping around to the front of the chair, Rowan crouched in front of the sleeping Aelin, an open book resting against her chest to match the pile stacked on the small table. It was one of the fictional stories she loved so, and he recognized the title as a particular favorite she'd read many times before. It had been a gift from King Dorian, he remembered, among the many sent by the Adarlanian over the years since the end of the war. Reaching out, Rowan gently lifted the book and set it aside as he watched Aelin's expression shift from soft and serene to pinched and anxious moments before she jerked and those turquoise and gold eyes opened to stare at him. 

"Shh, Fireheart," he murmured, stroking the fingers of his right hand along her cheek and through her hair while his left took hold of her own hand and held it firmly, offering an anchor as she emerged from the shadows of her nightmare. "You're safe. We're all safe." Slowly her breathing calmed and she leaned into his touch, her eyes closing again as she savored each brush of his skin of hers. 

She was a sight to behold, his queen, his mate, his _carranam_. There was not a day that went by that she didn't take his breath away simply by being. He would follow her into any battle and stand at her side through any trial or tribulation, and he would forever hold her as she laughed with joy or cried in eternal mourning for all she and her people had lost to the great evil that had swept the world. Not even death would keep him from her, and he truly pitied the creature that would be foolish enough to try.

"Fireheart, why are you not in our bed?" he asked softly, giving her hand a slight squeeze to win her attention. He'd stopped by their room upon his return to the castle, but it had taken a mere glance to tell the bed had not been slept in and his mate had not even been in their suite of rooms in hours. "Surely it's more comfortable than this chair."

It was a testament to how deep her exhaustion ran that Aelin did not argue the point and answered his query with a confession that made his instincts roar. "I don't sleep well when you're not there." She lifted her head from the arm of the chair, making to sit up, and stopped with a wince before she'd moved even an inch. His eyes narrowed as he took in the reaction and the way she moved, surmising that her neck was sore from being subjected to such an unnatural angle for gods knew how many hours. His strong, callused fingers kneaded the tight muscle as she again relaxed into the chair, a sound akin to a purr filling the space between them as he coaxed the pain from her body. "I figured I would get some reading in while I waited for you, I didn't realize it would be so late." The sky beyond the tall windows of the library was beginning to turn shades of orange and pink with the dawn of a new day.

"I'm sorry I couldn't return sooner," he apologized sincerely, having truly despised every moment he was away from her side dealing a group of Fae who had not yet adjusted to the ways of Terrasen, namely Aelin's view of demi-Fae deserving the same rights as full-blooded Fae. He'd shown them the error of their ways and returned as quickly as he could, but it had still been a form of agony to be so far from her to begin with. 

"Did things go well, at least?" she inquired, blinking at him with eyes that were beginning to droop again, sleep calling her back into its embrace.

He smiled and placed a kiss upon her brow, over the invisible mark of her bloodline. "Yes," he answered simply, saving the details for later. "Now let's get you to bed, your majesty." He laughed quietly at the frowning pout that followed after his teasing address, slipping his arms under her to lift her easily from the confines of the overly large chair. The fire faded down to embers behind them as he carried her from the library and through the stone halls to their rooms, nodding to the servants who were beginning their daily tasks. 

He was too focused on the miraculous woman in his arms to notice the smiles that came from each servant at the sight of their Queen asleep in the arms of her Prince. Terrasen's Savior and her Protector, the first of a court that truly had changed the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to the lovely Sarah J. Maas for creating these wonderful characters.
> 
> More to come. ♥


End file.
